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2007 Supreme(Cal) 158

High Court Of Calcutta
Before Mr. Justice Sadhan Kumar Gupta
SK.SAHABUDDIN - Appellant
Versus
NAZIMA BIBI - Respondent
C. R. R.  85  Of  2007
Decided On : 03/08/2007

Advocates Appeared:
LEENA SEN GUPTA, SUKDEB CHATTERJI

A divorced wife, who has received maintenance under Section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, cannot claim further maintenance under Section 125 Cr. P. C.

Headnote:

MAINTENANCE - SECTION 125 CR. P. C. - SECTION 3 MUSLIM WOMEN (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS ON DIVORCE) ACT - SUMMARY

Fact of the Case:

A divorced wife filed a petition under Section 125 Cr. P. C. for maintenance, claiming that the money received from her husband in an earlier proceeding under Section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act had been exhausted.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the wife was not entitled to further maintenance under Section 125 Cr. P. C. since she had already received maintenance in accordance with law in the earlier proceeding under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act.

Issues: Whether a divorced wife, who has received maintenance under Section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, can also claim further maintenance under Section 125 Cr. P. C.

Ratio Decidendi: The court reasoned that the intention of the legislature was to provide a special forum for Muslim divorced wives to seek maintenance, and that subsequent petitions under Section 125 Cr. P. C. cannot be allowed merely to prevent vagrancy. The court also noted that the wife had not provided any proof to substantiate her claim that the money received in the earlier proceeding had been exhausted.

Final Decision: The court set aside the order of the magistrate granting maintenance to the wife and dismissed the proceeding under Section 125 Cr. P. C.

( 1 ) THE judgment of the Court was as follows this revisional application has been preferred under Section 401 read with Section 482 of the Cr. P. C. against the judgment dated 30/11/2006 passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Diamond harbour in Case No. M-155 of 2006.

( 2 ) CASE of the petitioner is that the opposite party filed a petition under Section 125 Cr. P. C. before the learned Magistrate and in the said application she stated that she was married with the petitioner long before and was staying in the matrimonial house with the petitioner as his wife and out of the said wedlock she gave birth to three sons. Ultimately, she was driven out from the said matrimonial house. Before filing of the present case, the petitioner field an application under Section 3 of the Muslim women (Protection of Rights) and Divorce Act (hereinafter referred to as the said Act) and in the said proceeding direction was given upon the petitioner to pay Denmohar and maintenance for the Iddat period and for provisions of future maintenance. Out of the said amount, the wife/petitioner constructed a house and she had now no money with her. Under such circumstances, the wife filed the petition under Section 125 Cr. P. C. praying for maintenance against the husband. It was claimed therein that the husband is earning a monthly salary of Rs. 18,000/- being an employee of Haldia Port Trust. The petitioner prayed for maintenance Rs. @ 3000/- per month.

( 3 ) THE husband contested the said case by filing show-cause wherein he denied the allegations of the wife on the material points. According to the husband, he earns about Rs. 7,000/- per month. Moreover, it has been claimed by the husband that the wife has been earning from the interest of the amount she received from the husband in the earlier proceeding. As such, the petitioner/husband claimed that the maintenance application was not at all maintainable. But, the learned Magistrate, by his impugned order was pleased to allow the maintenance application and directed the husband to pay Rs. 1000/- per month in favour of the wife. Being aggrieved and dissatisfied with the said order of the learned Magistrate the husband has filed this revisional application. According to the petitioner, the wife was not at all entitled to get any further maintenance from him since in an earlier proceeding, filed under Section 3 of the said Act, she has already received the maintenance in accordance with law. The husband has claimed that the learned Magistrate failed to appreciate this while awarding further maintenance in favour of the wife. As such, by filing this revisional application, the husband has prayed for setting aside the said judgment.

( 4 ) IT may be pointed out here that the notice in respect of the revisional application was sent to the wife by registered post with A/d. But although she received the notice by signing in the A/d Card, still none appeared to contest the revisional application. As such, the revisional application was taken up in absence of the opposite party/wife.

( 5 ) IT is the admitted position that the opposite party is a divorced wife of the petitioner. There is also no dispute that the opposite party/wife filed a petition under the provisions of the said Act and in that case direction was given on the husband to pay some amount in favour of the wife. It appears that more than one lakh was paid in favour of the wife in the said proceeding by the husband. Now after the said proceeding was over, the wife again has filed this petition under Section 125 of the Cr. P. C. According to the wife, the money which she received from the husband had been exhausted and as such she is entitled to get further maintenance from the husband, as provided under Section 125 of the Cr. P. C. The learned magistrate was also of the opinion that there is no conflict in between section 125 Cr. P. C. with the said Act and a divorced wife can also pray for further maintenance from the husb

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